Denial Isn't Just A River In Egypt
by cherryredchucks
Summary: (Formerly named "CluBoy) Clark meets a guy online who could help him in ways he never imagined. CHLARK with some pretty damn cool twists.
1. Life Changing IM's

Disclaimer: If only I owned Clark......  
  
Today is Thursday. This is reason enough for me to be depressed. I hate Thursdays. I hate how close you are to Friday, but so far at the same time. Chloe told me once about a guy in ancient Greek mythology who angered the gods. His eternal punishment was to always be hungry and seated right beneath a tree that was loaded with fruit. But every time he would reach for one of the fruit, it would pull away so that it was just out of his reach. That's the way I think of Thursday. You're so close to Friday but it's just out of your reach. Dad says that I shouldn't wish my life away. Dad, shut up.  
  
So I'm bored. Alone. In the Torch office. Chloe said something about Tracy Jills being out with the flu and being unable to cover some "official cheer crisis" that was occurring. And even though I volunteered, she just laughed and said that she needed the event covered, not Lana. So I'm sitting here at Chloe's desk, slipping in and out of consciousness. My article is done. I made a pot of coffee a half-hour ago. The machines are (surprisingly) in working order. What to do? I could go home. I should go home. But mom and dad are starting the spring planting and I really don't feel like going home to that. It's funny really. They say my gifts don't define me and that they'd love me without them, and yet who ends up doing most of the work? Not that I mind working around the farm, I mean, fresh air is great and all. Plus, it's nice sometimes. But now, I really don't feel like doing anything manual. So instead, I'm hanging out here in the Torch room. Hey, when did Chloe put AIM on here? Well maybe Pete's on and he can keep me entertained. Or maybe even better, maybe Lana is on.  
  
CluBoy34: Hey  
  
Who's this? Maybe it's one of those online stalkers. Someone will be severely disappointed when they find out that the person they're stalking is a farmer's son in Kansas  
  
FarmBoy55: Hi, who's this?  
  
CluBoy34: James  
  
Do I know a James? I'm pretty much sure I don't.  
  
FarmBoy55: I'm sorry, but do I know you?  
  
CluBoy34: No, I found your sn on "Find A Buddy"  
  
Well, let's see here. I could either sit here and count the tiles on the ceiling (all 452 of them) or talk with this guy I've never met.  
  
FarmBoy55: Oh cool. So what's up?  
  
CluBoy34: Not much, just hanging out at home. What about you?  
  
FarmBoy55: I'm actually still at school. I work on the school newspaper and my editor is out so I'm kinda goofin' off  
  
CluBoy34: Cool. Is he a hard ass?  
  
FarmBoy55: that he's a she and she's actually my best friend. She's really enthusiastic about what she does.  
  
CluBoy34: 1 of your best friends is a chick? SWEET! Is she hot?!  
  
FarmBoy55: What do you mean?  
  
CluBoy34: Is she hot? Is she one of those kinds of friends?  
  
What? Chloe? CHLOE? CHLOE SULLIVAN?  
  
FarmBoy55: That'd be a definite no.  
  
CluBoy34: No she's not hot or No she's not one of those friends.  
  
FarmBoy55: She's NOT one of those kind of friends.  
  
CluBoy34: But she's hot?  
  
Okay, this guy is a little weird. Chloe? Hot? Well, I mean...I guess she...uhhh  
  
CluBoy34: You got a picture of her?  
  
Now he wants a picture of her? I'm sure Chloe wouldn't mind....  
  
FarmBoy55: Yeah, hold on, I can direct connect and send it to you.  
  
Ahh, here's the picture from the Yearbook. She looks really nice in this one. Her eyes look really pretty here.  
  
CluBoy34: DUDE!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
CluBoy34; She's TOTALLY hot! I mean, blonde hair that falls in her eyes, big green eyes that sparkle, and just an overall sexiness!!!! Man, you're WEIRD to not be dating her!!  
  
Me dating Chloe? Chloe hot? I guess her hair does look really nice, and her eyes really are big and they do kinda sparkle when she laughs or when the sun hits her face just so. And she does have a nice body....WHAT AM I SAYING? This is CHLOE! Strictly PLATONIC Chloe!!!  
  
FarmBoy55: Down boy. I've kind of got a thing for someone else  
  
CluBoy34: I find it hard to believe that there's someone hotter than this girl  
  
Lana. Gorgeous, sweet, caring, kind Lana. Perfect in every way. I can almost feel my hands starting to sweat as I think about her.  
  
FarmBoy55: She's beautiful. She's got long brown hair, and big golden eyes and this beautiful smile. She's perfect.  
  
CluBoy34: Sounds like Amanda  
  
FarmBoy55: who?  
  
CluBoy34: Amanda Jones is a girl at my school. She's got long blonde hair, blue eyes and the greatest pair of legs I've ever seen. She's head cheerleader, president of the Physics Club and spends her weekends doing volunteer work.  
  
FarmBoy55: She sounds too good to be true.  
  
CluBoy34: She is. And her boyfriend is well aware of this....  
  
Ooooh and I have a LOT of sympathy for this guy.  
  
FarmBoy55: That's tough. It's kinda the same with Lana and me.  
  
CluBoy34: We're in the same boat  
  
"Hey Clark! I finally got away from them. And it only took me three minutes with some aluminum foil and an assortment of other shiny objects to distract them and get away! You ready to go?" Jeezes Chloe! Knock much? Better get out of this convo quick.  
  
FarmBoy55: My editor is back. I'll ttyl. Bye.  
  
~FarmBoy55 is now signed off~  
  
"Sure. Let's go!" As Chloe is walking out the door, I find myself checking her out. What is going on with me? 


	2. Is it love or incest?

A/N: Sorry this thing took so long to update! I love you all, honestly I do.  
  
  
  
Okay this has to be some hormone thing. Yeah, that's it. I mean, I have to have hormones right? Oh god this is confusing. One minute it's CHLOE! I have no feelings for her. None whatsoever. And yet, there I was staring at Chloe like she was completely new. Like I'd never seen her before. Oh god, I can just see it now. "I'm sorry Mr. Sullivan. You just saw what you would probably consider incest, with how close Chloe and I are." That's it. I'm not talking to James again. He's probably some lonely guy who lives out in the middle of nowhere and has nothing better to do than stare at a picture of Chloe all day. And yet, I'm a lonely guy who lives in the middle of nowhere staring at the REAL Chloe. This is too weird.  
  
"Clark?" Great, even better. I'm here in the loft, just watching the stars, waiting for them to suddenly shift and somehow spell out the answer to my problems and SHE comes in. Perfection.  
  
"Up here, Chlo." Is this some sort of sick joke? Making the girl who is currently the cause of all my weird troubles show up? No. No problems. I'm not having problems. I AM NOT HAVING PROBLEMS. Why is it I can almost hear Chloe saying that denial is not just a river in Egypt?  
  
"Are you okay Clark? You seemed pretty quiet earlier. I just thought I'd come by and see if there was anything you wanted to talk about." She sits down next to me and suddenly I notice how nice she smells. Has she always smelled like this? A mix of spicy cinnamon and tart green apples..just like her. Okay this is very bad. Very very very very bad. I have to stop having thoughts like this. It was just a stupid internet conversation. It was just a stupid IM. I will not continue to have thoughts of kissing Chloe. I will not continue to ponder if she tastes like cinnamon. I will not keep having flashbacks to that meteor-induced kiss and how nice it was to feel her right there and..THIS IS NOT GOOD.  
  
"I'm.fine." Well, I think I can safely cross my name off the list of Grammy nominations with THAT acting.  
  
"Yeah, and I'm head cheerleader. What's wrong Clark?" You are! You're what's wrong! You're what's right! Don't you see? I'm not handling this very well. I'm talking on the internet and then all of a sudden all those feelings I tried to squash down are boiling right back up and I'm having a pretty good feeling that they're not willing to be pushed down again.  
  
"Nothing. I'm fine. Really. I've got to do some homework, so I'll talk to you later Chloe." And I do what I do best. I leave. I jump down the stairs three at a time and run back to the house, ignoring Chloe's confused call of my name behind me. I've just got to get some time to myself. I need some time to sort this out. I'm sure if I just have some time to myself for a while, maybe a week, I'll be fine. It'll be fine. I love Lana Lang. I love Lana Lang. Good Clark. Just keep saying that. I will not fall in love with my best friend. I will not fall in love with my best friend. Right. Good.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Right. Okay, so I was lying. Apparently a week hasn't done it. And neither has two. And I've begun to notice that Chloe's no longer making an effort to see me. She's just stopped. And instead of me turning around when I see her in the hall, trying to run when she smiles and calls my name, I've noticed she gives me a blank stare and just walks away. And I miss her. I miss her...friendship. I most certainly am not thinking about how I miss our conversations under the stars. I'm not thinking about how much I miss just sitting with her in the Torch room watching her try and put out another edition. I most certainly am not thinking about how much I miss her smile. That one that seems to spread all over her, making her light up like a Christmas tree. But now she looks at me with hollow eyes like she doesn't know me. I don't know me. And now I sit here at home, staring at the ceiling, wondering if there's any way I could just kinda heat vision the ceiling to fall on me. Wait, that wouldn't kill me. Crap.  
  
CluBoy34: Hey again  
  
And now I'm talking to the source of my problems. Well, one of the sources.  
  
FarmBoy55: Hi  
  
CluBoy34: What's up?  
  
FarmBoy55: Not much How's Amanda?  
  
CluBoy34: Perfect. As always  
  
FarmBoy55: Any progress?  
  
CluBoy34: No and I'm beginning to think I'll never make any. Sometimes you gotta just let go of some dreams when it's just becoming hopeless. There's dreams and there's reality. I need more reality  
  
FarmBoy55: Oh  
  
And it's like the whole world is joining together to get Chloe and I together. Screw world peace, apparently we're focusing on my non-existent love life.  
  
CluBoy33: Well how's your dream girl?  
  
FarmBoy55: Dreamy. As always. But I gotta talk to you about Chloe.  
  
CluBoy33: Did you kiss her?  
  
Ha. I wish. NO I DON'T!!!  
  
FarmBoy55: Not quite. I've kinda been avoiding her.  
  
CluBoy33: WHY?  
  
FarmBoy55: I don't know. Things have just gotten weird.  
  
CluBoy33: What did you do? Ask her out?  
  
FarmBoy55: NO! But I've been thinking about it.  
  
CluBoy33: Congrats man, you're finally seeing.  
  
FarmBoy55: What do you mean?  
  
CluBoy33: Well there's a reason why most friendships between a girl and a guy don't work out and that's because one finally looks at the other and realizes how great the other is  
  
FarmBoy55: But I always knew how great Chloe was  
  
CluBoy33: Then maybe you've finally noticed she wasn't a guy  
  
I knew that too. At least I think I did.  
  
CluBoy33: You there?  
  
FarmBoy55: Yeah sorry I don't know what to do about it. About everything. I still love Lana but this thing with Chloe is screwing everything up.  
  
CluBoy33: Does Lana love you?  
  
FarmBoy55: I don't know.  
  
Cluboy33: Are you basing her love for you on whether or not you two have ever gotten together because you and Chloe haven't gotten together and she loves you. But you can't totally blame the whole not getting to live your dream girl fantasy thing on yourself because don't you think she would have made a move by now?  
  
FarmBoy55: I guess. Maybe it's just me building her up really making her a dream.  
  
CluBoy33: I have a feeling you'd be disappointed if you dated her.  
  
FarmBoy55: No, I don't think she'd ever disappoint me it just wouldn't be the way I imagined it I guess  
  
CluBoy33: Very good. You've figured out the difference between dream and reality  
  
FarmBoy55: So what do I do about Chloe?  
  
CluBoy33: You do something. And soon. But I've gtg. Good luck man!  
  
~CluBoy33 has signed off~  
  
Good Luck? Hah I'm gonna need a miracle. 


End file.
